Machine for molding units of clay or other refractory material to be used in the manufacture of concrete.



No. 874,167. PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907. w. n. GROW. I MACHINE FOR MOLDINGUNITS OF CLAY, OR OTHER REFRACTORY/MATERIAL TO BE USED IN THEMANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1907.

INVENTOR W/TNESS-ES snmurarv. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. CROW, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR MOLDING UNITS OF CLAY OR OTHER REFRACTORY MATERIAL TO BEUSED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CONCRETE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1 7, 1 907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. CRow, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of East Orange, county of Essex, State of NewJersey, have invented a Machine for Molding Units of Clay or otherRefractory Material to be Used in the Manufacture of Concrete, of whichthe following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce hollow spherical bodiesreferred to in my application for Letters Patent filed in the UnitedStates Patent Office February 26th, 1907, Serial No. 359,508. A machinewhich is calculated to mold such hollow spherical bodies is shown in thehereinafter described mechanism which is also illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

Figure I is a transverse sectional elevation of the entire machine; Fig.II shows an enlarged sectional elevation of part of the cylinders B andA; Fig. III shows a broken surface of the cylinder B.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

II is a hopper; F is a deflector of the clay or other material pouredinto the hopper; A are hollow cylinders with studs or projections M; Bare hollow cylinders with depressions L on their exterior surface; J arescrapers for the purpose of scraping off the surplus material on thecylinders B.

I are revolving brushes; G are jets for the purpose of lubricating thecylinders B with oil or sand, or whatever other material is used.

D is a conveyer and E are dust jets.

It will thus be seen that the mechanism consists of two parallel andhollow cylinders B mounted on a frame support, which rotate on theiraxes and are set with their sides touching or nearly touching eachother. The curved surfaces of these cylinders have depressions thereonof such size and shape that each depression forms half of a mold for aclay unit. The depressions are so arranged on the surfaces of thecylinders that each depression on one cylinder has a concurrentdepression on the other cylinder at the line of contact of thecylinders, thus forming the two halves of a mold for a clay unit. Thedepressions L after being filled with clay are brought into concurrenceby the rotation of the cylinders toward each other. The clay in eachdepression adheres to the clay in the opposite depression, thus forminga complete clay unit which is released by the further rotation of thecylinders and drops into the receptacle D placed underneath or on a beltor other conveyer.

The hopper, or hoppers, are placed above the cylinders B and open at thebottom so that clay placed in the hopper or hoppers is permitted to passinto the depressions on the cylinders.

The two cylinders A mounted on a frame support are also hollow androtate on their axes and are set parallel with each other, and alsoparallel with the cylinders B. The studs or projections M are of suchsize and shape as may be suitable to the form of clay unit desired andare laced so that as the four cylinders rotate t e studs or projectionswill be brought to concurrent ositions with the depressions of the cyliners B and project a distance into such de ressions L thus displacingsome of the c ay in the depression and forming in the clay half of ahollow which will be in the interior of each clay unit when it iscomplete.

When. it is desired to make the solid s heres referred to in myapplication filed ebruary 26, 1907, Serial No. 359,508, the cylinders Awill be he t from operating so that solid clay units wi 1 be produced bythe cylinders B.

Steam coils, gas burners or other heating a paratus may be placed in oradjacent to all of the four cylinders for the purpose of maintaining atem erature at which the clay will be prevented i rom adhering to thecylinders; or ets G for spraying oil may be used.

The brushes I are for the purpose of cleaning the cylinders A.

For the purpose of s raying the clay units with dust after they havebeen molded so that the clay units will not stick together, the jets Eare provided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A molding machine, consisting of two parallel cylinders, concurrentdepressions in said cylinders, two other cylinders mounted above andarallel with the aforesaid cylinders and with each other, studs on thesurface of said cylinders arranged so as to engage the depressions ofsaid first pair of cylinders, a ho per arranged above all of saidcylinders, a eflector in said hopper, scrapers arranged in said hopperto remove surplus 110 material from the first of said pair of cylinders,lubricating jets mounted on said hopper, revolving brushes mounted abovesaid second pair of cylinders aforesaid, a rece tacle beneath said firstpair of cylinders a oresaid, and dust jets arranged below said cylindersin the proximity of the said receptacle, substantially as-described.

2. A molding machine, consisting of two cylinders B, two cylinders Aabove said cylinders B, all of said cylinders mounted on a frame andparallel with one another, a hop per H, mounted above said cylinders, adeflector F in said hopper, scrapers J in said WILLIAM D. CROW.

In the presence oi' F. B. ROY, CLARENCE G. GALsToN.

